Used Fairline Squadron Guide: 50 to 74 Compared

Short answer: Sun Yachts currently has five used Fairline Squadrons in stock, from a 1995 Squadron 50 (HK$1,280,000) to a 2018 Squadron 53 (HK$8,000,000), all with real published prices and none on price-on-request. On a tight budget and looking to step up into a bigger boat, look at the 50; for the newest condition and a stabiliser, the 53; for the largest guest capacity at a mid-range budget, the 58; for a big boat with low engine hours, the 60; and if you need a membership and a 90ft berth transferred with the boat, the 74. These five boats differ completely in year, condition and intended use, so it is a mistake to treat them as interchangeable just because they share the "Squadron" name. Below we break down the specs, the survey points and the running costs for each, to help you land on the right length for how you will actually use it.

Fairline is a long-established British yard, founded in 1963 when Jack Newington bought land at Oundle in England and built Oundle Marina; the first Fairline boat, a 19ft glassfibre river boat, followed in 1967 (Wikipedia — Fairline Yachts). The Squadron range is their flybridge line. It entered the large luxury yacht market in 1990 with the 62ft (about 19m) Squadron 62, and from the 1990s onward the yard rolled out flybridge models in a range of lengths including the 50, 55, 58, 60 and 74 (Wikipedia — Fairline Yachts; Fairline official Heritage page). The brand ran into financial difficulty from 2007, went into administration in 2015, and was restructured after Alexander Volov and Igor Glyanenko acquired its assets (Wikipedia — Fairline Yachts).

That history explains one important point: boats can share the "Squadron" name and still be worlds apart in design language, engine configuration and the quality control of their build era. Buying a used Squadron, you cannot judge condition from the brand name alone — you have to look at each boat's actual year, engine hours and service history. That is exactly the problem the comparison table below is there to solve.

All five below are real boats currently in Sun Yachts stock. Specs are taken directly from the listing data; boats come off the site as soon as they sell, and the price on the boat page prevails.

Two contrasts stand out. First, the Squadron 58 is bigger than the Squadron 53 and carries more guests, yet asks close to three times less — because the 58 is a 2006 boat with 1,360 engine hours while the 53 is a 2018 boat with only 255, a textbook example of year plus hours setting the price. Second, the 50 and the 74 are 20 years apart in age but the gap in asking price is smaller than you might expect, because the 74 comes with a membership and berth transfer, so part of what the price reflects is berthing value rather than the boat alone.

Squadron 50 (1995) — the lowest entry point

Built in 1995 with 1,500 engine hours, this is the oldest and highest-hours boat of the five in stock, but also the most accessible at HK$1,280,000. A 24-person capacity is respectable at this end of the market, with twin Caterpillar 445HP diesels. It suits a buyer who wants to test the water at the lowest possible budget and get a feel for handling a larger boat — but with both age and hours on the high side, the survey and the engine service history are two steps you cannot skip.

Squadron 53 (2018) — the newest condition in stock

Built in 2018 with only 255 engine hours, this is the newest and lowest-hours boat of the five. The listing specifically notes a Seakeeper stabiliser, and emphasises that it has been kept on a yacht club berth in good order, with low engine hours and ready to use without work needed. Its 26-person capacity is second only to the 58ft boat's 34, which makes it a fit for family buyers who want something close to a new-boat experience and have the budget for it.

Squadron 58 (2006) — the largest capacity, mid-range budget

Built in 2006 with 1,360 engine hours and twin Caterpillar 800HP diesels. Its 34-person capacity is the highest of the five, and at HK$2,580,000 it is also the second most affordable, so the value is obvious. It suits a buyer who wants the cabin and deck space but whose budget does not stretch to the 53, 60 or 74 — we would recommend adding an independent survey and an oil analysis before the deal, given the hours.

Squadron 60 (2015) — a big boat with low hours

Built in 2015 with only 450 engine hours and twin Volvo Penta 900HP diesels. At 19.38m it is the second longest of the five, and the balance of age against hours is the selling point: newer than the 74, larger than the 53. At HK$8,200,000 it is the highest asking price in stock, and it suits a buyer who wants a newer build year and real length, and does not mind being at the top of their budget.

Squadron 74 (2005) — with membership and berth transfer

Built in 2005 with twin MAN 1300 engines, this is the longest of the five at 22.69m. The listing notes that it comes with a membership plus a 90ft berth transfer, and it is the only one of the five with a full cabin and equipment list — four cabins, three heads, radar, GPS and an electronic gyro stabiliser. The membership and 90ft berth transfer arrangement described in the listing is something we would ask you to confirm with us directly before viewing; if it still stands, it is a clear plus for a buyer who needs a berth or membership at the same time. See our Sai Kung Marina Cove berthing guide for the wider picture.

Whichever length you go for, these are the points to have your surveyor verify one by one on a used Squadron:

• Drive system: shaft drive or Volvo IPS pod drive? Squadron models from different eras can use different drive systems. Take the Squadron 60 (2012–2015 model years): YachtBuyer's model engine data lists the standard engines as 2 x Volvo Penta D13-800, with D13-900 as an option, but the page does not state the drive type (YachtBuyer — Squadron 60 Engines). The 2015 Squadron 60 in stock is listed at 900 HP, which lines up with the D13-900 option, but the drive type needs to be confirmed on site. The two drive systems differ completely in maintenance cost, steering feel and parts availability, so ask about the actual configuration when you view — do not assume.
• Teak decks and joinery. Fairline used teak decks and interior joinery on a number of earlier models. On the older boats here (the 1995 50ft and the 2005 74ft in particular), check the teak for splitting and lifting, and the interior veneers for signs of water ingress.
• Age of the electronics. Radar, GPS and stabilisers all have their own service lives, even where the hull is in good order. The 74ft listing states radar, GPS and an electronic gyro stabiliser, but does not give installation or replacement dates — worth asking about during the survey.
• Steering and getting onto the plane. Across a number of owner threads on the YBW Forum (forums.ybw.com), Fairline Squadron owners note that a healthy Squadron should not need trim tabs to get onto the plane; bow-high running or a dragging stern are both warning signs, and worth testing on the water.
• Air conditioning and control panel faults. On the Fairline Owners Club (fairlineownersclub.com) and the YBW Forum, air-conditioning controls and the main control panel come up repeatedly as common niggles — switch everything on and test it during the survey.
• Oil analysis on higher-hours boats. The 50 (1,500 hrs) and the 58 (1,360 hrs) in stock are clearly higher-hours than the 53 (255 hrs) and the 60 (450 hrs), so on top of an independent survey we would add an engine oil analysis to catch internal wear early.

The owner forum discussions above are third-party experience, not official Fairline data — treat them as directions to check, with the independent surveyor's report as the authority. For the full survey and transfer process, see our guide to buying a second-hand yacht.

Squadron lengths here run from 44ft to 74ft, and running costs (berthing, maintenance, insurance) rise steeply with length and engine count. We have already set out a full cost estimator and a line-by-line breakdown in How Much Does It Really Cost to Own a Yacht Per Year? — once you have settled on a length, work through that piece rather than budgeting on the purchase price alone.